2023 Honda crv hybrid for sale

honda cr-v-hybrid Full Overview

Pros

  • Greater torque than previous powertrain
  • More cargo space
  • New front-drive model with better efficiency

Cons

  • Still underpowered
  • No underfloor rear storage
  • Small infotainment touchscreen

The CR-V has been Honda's best-selling crossover since 1997, and the company not unexpectedly plans for the small SUV with a big following to play an important role in its future electrification plans. Honda by 2030 hopes to offer 30 new all-electric vehicles in its broader fleet, accounting for 40 percent of its North American sales. Its new 2023 CR-V Hybrid is an intermediate step in acclimating customers to new technologies for those EVs, and the company expects it to represent about 50 percent of CR-V sales annually.

With the debut of the sixth-generation CR-V for 2023, the Hybrid model becomes the lineup's new flagship. Indeed, the previous-generation gas-electric version wasn't the same class-leading SUV as the non-hybrid CR-V. We dinged it mainly for not being as fuel efficient or as powerful as other compact hybrid crossovers in the segment.

The new model aims to address those shortcomings. We put a 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport Touring model through our testing regimen to see how successful it is in terms of leveling up.

Power and Efficiency

All 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrids are equipped with a new 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four engine and a dual-electric-motor hybrid system that develops a peak total of 204 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque. That's the most torque ever for Honda's compact SUV, an increase of 15 lb-ft compared to the outgoing model. Honda also says the new 2023 CR-V Hybrid makes more horsepower, though the previous version was rated originally at 212 hp. However, the outgoing model was retested with the updated SAE hp standard, and Honda now pegs its output at 201 hp, meaning the 2023 just barely comes out on top.

The 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid is no longer only all-wheel drive, with the lower Sport trim offered also as a front-drive model. As expected, fuel economy is better for the two-wheel drive version, an estimated 43/36 mpg city/highway compared to the AWD's good 40/34 mpg. The previous generation CR-V Hybrid, available only with AWD, was rated at a nearly identical 40/35 mpg. But even with the FWD model's better fuel economy, the 2023 CR-V Hybrid trails the class-leading 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid in highway mileage: The Toyota is rated for 38 mpg with its larger 2.5-liter non-turbo inline-four and electric motors.

A certain amount of electricity regeneration can be called up when decelerating by shifting to the Hybrid's new "B" position and using its steering wheel paddles. Using the high regen won't stop the CR-V like a proper one-pedal setup would, but it does help slow it down when you lift off the gas. Honda says it added the system in part to prepare its customers for an electric-car future, but we dig how it gamifies increasing efficiency.

Performance

The 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid isn't as quick in a straight line as the less-torquey previous generation model, but it's close. A 2020 CR-V Hybrid we tested accelerated from 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds, only 0.1 second quicker than the 2023. The new hybrid is still much quicker than the turbo EX-L AWD model, which gets to 60 mph in 8.7 seconds, but the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has them all beat, needing just 7.3 seconds.

The story was somewhat the same in our lateral-acceleration test. Both the 2023 turbo model (0.82 g) and the previous Hybrid (0.81 g) outperformed the new one (0.79 g). They were also quicker than the new Hybrid around our figure-eight "racetrack in a bottle" test; the new turbo lapped the course in 28.0 seconds versus 29.3 for the Hybrid. The new CR-V Hybrid's mass and weight bias certainly had something to do with how it performed on the track.

Interior

But what's the 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid like to drive on regular streets? Honda invited us to Santa Barbara, California, to get behind the wheel of the new top model in the lineup, the Sport Touring. Honda also brought along a 2023 EX-L AWD turbo (non-hybrid) model and a 2022 CR-V Hybrid Touring, the top version from last year's Hybrid lineup, for additional perspective. We sampled the SUVs along the highways and over backroads surrounding nearby wine country.

From a dynamic standpoint, it was difficult to tell the new Hybrid from the outgoing one. By the seat of our pants, they felt equally quick and competent. Likewise, when the going got tough, both powertrains would make their protests known via a thrashy sound track. Off the line, power delivery was smooth and could get torquey, but we needed to plan for moves at highway speeds and up hills, regardless of which Hybrid we drove.

All 2023 CR-Vs feature a body that's 15 percent stiffer than previous models and a retuned suspension, according to Honda. Zipping through the canyons or cruising downtown, the new Hybrid feels settled and consistent, and its suspension provides tight body control and good cabin isolation. But it wasn't perfect. Over certain types of unmaintained, broken pavement, oscillations do come up through the chassis. We generally like how the new CR-V Hybrid feels light on its feet, but the previous model feels almost as light.

Steering in the 2023 is well weighted and reasonably responsive, but there's not a lot of wheel feedback. When it comes to brakes, the pedal is well tuned for a hybrid but we did notice a bit of squishiness at the top of its travel.

Packaging

The 2023 Honda CR-V adds room by growing 2.7 inches longer and 0.5 inch wider than the outgoing model. Rear legroom expands 0.6 inch to 41.0 inches, and cargo space grows more than 6.0 cubic feet, to 39.3 cubic feet behind the second row and 76.5 cubic feet with the second row folded.

The new CR-V also features the quickest and quietest power liftgate Honda has ever made, and the company claims the crossover's center-console storage is best in its class. Its doors still open to almost 90 degrees. The only bummer? The Hybrid doesn't get the same underfloor cargo storage as the turbo model because of the battery pack—but it was like that for the previous one, too.

The CR-V's rear seat is now reclinable in eight positions and features new lower child-seat anchors that are easier to use. The front seats are also new, boasting new frames and cushioning that improve posture and stability. We can vouch that they are plenty comfortable.

In the front row, the best of the new Civic's interior is transplanted into the CR-V Hybrid, namely the mesh trim, drive-mode toggle, and knurled metallic air-conditioning knobs. The new CR-V also offers 4.4 inches wider forward visibility than the old version, and it boasts a new digital gauge cluster. Infotainment software improvements include fewer menus, larger buttons and knob, and less latency. We're less impressed with the size of the infotainment touchscreen, which at 9.0 inches seems on the small side (the standard screen is an even smaller 7.0 inches).

Safety improvements include a new body structure, next-generation airbags, and new camera and radar sensors for the vehicle's active driver assist features. The array of new sensors helps provide a wider field of vision and also informs the new traffic-sign recognition feature.

What you might notice most about the interior, though, is how peaceful it is. Through powertrain refinements, the stiffer body, a noise-canceling system, and sound-absorption materials applied throughout the cabin, Honda insulated the passenger compartment from most encroaching sounds. Coupled with the interior's fresh styling, the 2023 CR-V Hybrid takes on an air of premiumness that is appreciated from an SUV at this price point.

Pricing

Honda has simplified CR-V trims for 2023; what was once two lines (gas and hybrid) is now just one. It begins with the least expensive EX FWD and AWD gas models, with the Sport Hybrids above them. The turbo EX-L FWD and AWD are next in order of price, and the Sport Touring is at the top. Gone for 2023 are the LX base and Special Edition trims. The hybrid powertrain is now the performance offering in the range.

The 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport FWD is the base hybrid model and carries a sticker of $33,695. For the 2023 Sport Touring model (offered only with AWD), the price grows $6,150 to $39,845. With it you also get the larger infotainment touchscreen, 12 speakers instead of six, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, wireless-charging pad, leather seats, heated steering wheel, power liftgate, parking sensors, and more.

Compared to a competitor like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, sticker prices are in the same ballpark. The Toyota's top trim is the Limited model, and 2022s carry a $39,410 price tag. The Toyota and Honda are separated by less than $500, and that doesn't account for whatever RAV4 price increase could come for 2023.

Who's the 2023 CR-V Hybrid For?

The CR-V is virtually an institution. It has excelled at a lot over the years: It's efficient, it drives well, it gets excellent safety scores, it makes the most of the space it has, and it's simply a good value. That's why we've recognized the CR-V as SUV of the Year, twice. That's why the fifth-generation model leads our Compact SUV rankings.

The 2023 CR-V Hybrid doesn't move the needle as much as we hoped it would, but it is a reasonable choice for compact-SUV shoppers. It's bigger and more spacious than before, and it also sports an updated design inside and out, and more comfortable seats. Its new hybrid powertrain delivers a decent bump in torque, and if peak efficiency is your aim, you can't go wrong with the Sport FWD. But for a dash of refinement, in addition to the CR-V Hybrid's all-around practicality, the Sport Touring is the (mostly) quiet crossover to take a look at.

Looks good! More details?

2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid  (Sport) Touring AWD Specifications
BASE PRICE $39,845
PRICE AS TESTED $39,845
VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINE 2.0L direct-injected Atkinson-cycle DOHC 16-valve I-4, plus permanent-magnet elec motors
POWER (SAE NET) 145 hp @ 6,100 rpm (gas), 181 hp (elec); 204 hp (comb)
TORQUE (SAE NET) 138 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm (gas), 247 lb-ft (elec)
TRANSMISSION 1-sp auto (elec), 2-sp auto (gas)
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,904 lb (59/41%)\
WHEELBASE 106.3 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 184.8 x 73.5 x 66.5 in
0-60 MPH 7.6 sec
QUARTER MILE 16.2 sec @ 81.5 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 123 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.79 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT 29.3 sec @ 0.57 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 40/34/38 mpg (est)
EPA RANGE, COMB 518 miles (est)
ON SALE Fall 2022

When can you order a 2023 Honda CR

Yes, a 2023 CR-V Hybrid will be available in October 2022.

When can you purchase a 2023 Honda CR

The all-new 2023 CR-V goes on sale in summer 2022 with an updated hybrid powertrain that uses two motors, better tech, and new safety features. Honda offers the redesigned 2023 CR-V in four trim levels, including EX, EX-L, Sport, and Sport Touring.

Will Honda have a plug

The 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid made its world debut on July 12, 2022, and will go on sale in the U.S. soon. ... Exterior..

Will there be a new Honda CR

As of this writing, the 2023 Honda CR-V 1.5T-equipped models are set to begin making their way to dealerships this month. The 2023 Honda CR-V hybrid powertrain models are expected to begin delivery in October.